2am Coffee
by rommie
Summary: A series of early morning conversations of Coffee involving various crewmembers. (Formerly just a J/P convo)
1. 2am Coffee: Janeway&Paris

A/N: Adapted from JuPiter Station Narrative Challenge #250.  
  
  
2am Coffee (Janeway/Paris)  
By Mara/Rommie/Nari (The One Of Many Names)  
  
  
It had been less than a month since B'Elanna had left them, but it seemed like far longer, Lt. Tom Paris though as he walked into the messhall, his daughter Miral balanced on his hip. It was 2 in the morning, but Miral couldn't sleep, so he couldn't sleep. The messhall was almost completely empty. The sole occupant was sitting at a table near the windows.  
  
"Mr. Paris," Captain Kathryn Janeway said as she spotted them. "What brings you here at this time of night?"  
  
"My daughter being a nightowl," Tom replied with a slight smile. "How about you, Captain?"  
  
"Miral and I have something in common, it seems," Kathryn answered. "Why don't I watch her while you get yourself some coffee?"  
  
Tom smiled gratefully. "Thanks." He handed Miral to Kathryn and walked over to the coffee machine. Usually the replicated coffee was all right, but tonight Tom felt the need to have the real stuff. He poured two cups, and returned to the table Kathryn was sitting at. He placed the cups down, one of them in front of Kathryn, and took Miral back. "Didn't see a cup in your hand," he explained.  
  
Kathryn chuckled. "I've been trying to cut down. But who am I to refuse a cup from my chief helmsman?"  
  
"Why, you're the captain, that's who!" Tom joked.  
  
Kathryn laughed. "I supposse you're right." She raised her cup of coffee to her lips as she turned serious. "How are you doing, Tom?"  
  
Tom sighed. "We're surviving," he replied. "B'Elanna cleared out her things while I was on duty this afternoon. It looks like she never even lived there. I guess that means she won't be coming back."  
  
Kathryn set down her cup and reached across the table to put her hand over his. "I'm sorry, Tom."  
  
"The worst part is she refuses to see Miral," he said, looking down at his daughter, who was playing with the edge of the t-shirt he was wearing. "And with the resequencing, Miral won't even know she's part Klingon. She won't know B'Elanna's her mother when she sees her."  
  
"She will if you tell her."  
  
"How do I tell my daughter her mother doesn't want anything to do with her? Without making her feel like there's something wrong with her?"  
  
Kathryn sighed and squeezed Tom's hand. "You make sure she knows you love her, and so does everyone else," she said. Then she smiled. "Including her Aunt Kathryn."  
  
Tom laughed. "And of course 'Aunt Kathryn's' opinion will be very important."  
  
"Of course, I *am* the captain afterall."  
  
Tom looked down at his coffee. "You think we'll still be in the Delta Quadrant when Miral grows up, don't you?"  
  
Kathryn sighed. "Unless some miracle happens and takes us home, I'm afraid so."  
  
It was Tom's turn to offer comfort. "You're doing your best, Captain. That's all anyone can ask of you. This crew trusts you. *I* trust you."  
  
Kathryn returned the smile. "Thank you, Tom."  
  
"Thank you. You were obviously here to think in private, but you took the time to talk to me."  
  
"Did it help?"  
  
"More than you could ever know," Tom answered. He quickly finished his coffee and stood, cradling the now sleeping Miral in his arms. "Thanks, Captain."  
  
"Your welcome, Tom." Kathryn replied, smiling. "Feel free to come to me if you need anything, Tom. Time off, a few extra replicator rations. Anything."  
  
"I will. Goodnight, Captain."  
  
"Goodnight, Mr. Paris."  
  
Tom started to walk out, then turned back. "I wouldn't mind raising Miral here on the Voyager," he said, just loud enough for Kathryn to hear, before he left.  
  
Kathryn smiled after him before taking the last sip of her own coffee. "I wouldn't mind you doing that either," she said.  
  
End Of Part One 


	2. 2am Coffee: Chakotay&Torres

2am Coffee (Chakotay/Torres)  
By Mara/Rommie/Nari (The One Of Many Names)  
  
"Didn't your shift end hours ago?" Commander Chakotay asked as he leaned against a wall in engineering.  
  
Lt. B'Elanna Torres planned on ignoring Chakotay, until she caught a whiff of coffee. She turned and saw the two mugs in his hand. "Is one of those for me?" she asked.  
  
Chakotay passed her one of the mugs, and watched as she gulped half of it down at once. "You want to tell me what's troubling you?"  
  
"If I say no will you leave me alone?"  
  
"No."  
  
B'Elanna sighed and set the mug down. "I moved the last of my stuff out of Tom's quarters today."  
  
Chakotay nodded. "I heard. Does this mean you're not going back?"  
  
"I messed with my... with Miral's genetics, Chakotay. I changed her DNA, even though Tom said he wouldn't care if she had Klingon ridges. He hid it on the bridge, and he tried to hide it from me, but he was hurt. He could never forgive me for doing that."  
  
"You're wrong. Paris loves you, B'Elanna, no matter what stupid thing you do. And Miral does, too."  
  
"She doesn't love me. When she'd cry at night, if I tried to care for her she'd just scream louder until Tom came. The second she was in his arms she'd call down again and go to sleep. She hates me."  
  
"No, she just knows you're uncomfortable with babies. Especially in the middle of the night when you tend to growl."  
  
"Exactly, what kind of mother is uncomfortable with her baby?"  
  
Chakotay sighed. "B'Elanna, you're not someone who has a calming effect on a baby, so what? The reason she calms down for Paris is because he's still like a great big kid himself! When she grows up and gets to be more mature than him, you're the one she'll like more."  
  
B'Elanna remained silent and took another sip of the coffee. "I'll never be the kind of mother Miral deserves," she finally said as she turned back to her work.  
  
"B'Elanna, you could be a great mother, if you tried. I'm not saying you should get back together with Paris, but you shouldn't just turn your back on Miral. She needs her mother."  
  
"Tom will find a new one for her soon enough."  
  
"You're making excuses."  
  
B'Elanna turned around again. "Do you really think it will take Paris long to find someone new? He's probably all ready talking with the Delaney Sisters again!" she said, delibrately using her soon to be ex-husband's last name to distance herself from her words. She didn't want *her* Tom to find someone new.  
  
"Maybe a few years ago he would have rebounded quickly, but not now. He loves you, B'Elanna."  
  
"You're wrong Chakotay. He might be upset now, but he'll realize it's better for me to leave now, before he hates me."  
  
"I don't think he ever would."  
  
"You don't know him like I do," B'Elanna said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I want to finish a few repairs before I go to bed."  
  
Chakotay watched her turn away and go back to work. After a moment, he picked up both coffee mugs and headed to the door. As he reached the threshhold, he turned back to watch B'Elanna for a long moment again. "Just think about it. Miral needs her mother."  
  
As she heard the doors close behind Chakotay, B'Elanna sighed and shook her head. "She deserves better than me."  
  
End Of Part Two 


	3. 2am Coffee: Janeway, Chakotay, & Neelix

NOTE: These are NOT all taking place on the same night, but they ARE in the same little 'universe'. And, in this story's universe, Neelix didn't leave the Voyager. This one is slightly different from the other two, the Paris/Torres thing isn't evne mentione din this, though Paris is mentioned. Sorry it took me so long to get this part out.  
  
  
2am Coffee (Chakotay/Janewey/Neelix)  
By Mara/Rommie/Nari (The One Of Many Names)  
  
"Tell me, why did we re-establish contact with the Federation again?" Kathryn said to her first officer, a slight smile on her lips as they sat in her ready room with a pile of PADDs between them.  
  
"Don't ask me, it was your idea to do it!" Chakotay replied with a laugh. "I was quite happy without talking to them. And without all this paperwork."  
  
Kathryn chuckled as she came across another PADD. "Look at this! Naomi Wildman is all ready recieving offers to tell the story of the first child born on the Voyager!"  
  
Chakotay reached over and took the PADD to read it over. "They make it sound like there will be a dozen children born here!"  
  
"We're all ready 1/6th of the way there, Chakotay. We've got two."  
  
"Good point."  
  
Janeway turned back to the stack of PADDs on her desk and sifted through them. "Somewhere in here is an offer for you."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes, there's a publishing company that wants exclusive rights to the story of the Maquis crew."  
  
"Really? Give me that PADD when you find it."  
  
"Don't tell me you actually want to write a holonovel about the," Janeway paused to stifle a laugh as she read from the newly found PADD. "The 'Trials Of The Missunderstood And Lovable Maquis Crew Of The USS Voyager'?"  
  
"You're kidding?" Chakotay asked as he grabbed the PADD and read it over. "You're not kidding."  
  
"I'm afraid not." The door chime sounded then. "Come in," Janeway called.  
  
Neelix came in with a tray of food and coffee. "If you're going to work all night, you need something to help you stay awake," he said as he looked around for a place to set down the tray.  
  
"The floor might be the only clear spot to put it," Chakotay said.  
  
Janeway looked around her ready room, noticing for the first time that there truly were PADDs stacked everywhere. "I really should try harder to check the incoming information a few times a day so this doesn't happen again."  
  
Neelix finally found a small table with only a few PADDS on it and set the tray down. "Well, I will gladly help in anyway I can, Captain. I have heard rumors that you received quite a bit of 'junk mail', I believe Lt. Paris called it? I could sort through that for you."  
  
"I think that would help quite a bit, Neelix, thank you," Janeway said as she gestured for Neelix to take a seat. She handed him a stack of PADDs. "Those are mostly from people trying to get exclusive rights to the stories of the various things we've done. The Maquis Turned Model officers, the Starfleet personel dealing with Maquis. Naomi's thoughts on being the first Voyager child, Seven Of Nine's thoughts on becoming human again. That sort of thing. If you could try to organize them somehow by basic groupings, it would be incredibly helpful."  
  
"Of course, captain."  
  
The trio worked in near silence for a moment before Neelix let out an outraged 'humph'.  
  
"What's wrong?" Chakotay asked.  
  
"This!" Neeliz said waving a PADD in the air. "It's intended for Lt. Torres. 'Please, Lieautenant, tell us, what it was like being married to a man who is a traitor to both the Federation and the Maquis? Is it true that he forced himself on Captain Janeway in the early years of the voyage?' Of all the nerve!"  
  
Janeway grabbed that PADD and read it over. "This is ludicrious!"  
  
"Are they talking about the Warp 10 incident?" Chakotay asked.  
  
"They must be! For God's sake, we were lizards!" Janeway replied. "For all we know I came on to HIM!"  
  
"I wouldn't tell them that, Kathryn," Chakotay said, trying not to laugh. "They'll be asking Paris to tell them about how you took advantage of being his superior officer."  
  
Neelix chuckled at the thought, and even Janeway smiled slightly.  
  
"Actually... it would almost be worth it just to see Paris' face when he reads the message," Chakotay added.  
  
Janeway's shoulders started shaking in amusement then and she shook her head. "I don't think we'll be finding out how his face would look, Commander," she said, a slight hint of threat in her tone.  
  
"Of course not Captain. It was just a passing thought," Chakotay replied, his eyes twinkling.  
  
  
End of Part Three 


End file.
